It's seductive to latch onto belief systems that deliver your dreams through positive thinking, affirmations, and the law of attraction. I'm not passing judgment or suggesting what's true or not true. I can only share what I've discovered through my explorations.
Suffice it to say that I spent decades on the aforementioned. It certainly served me as it got me into the habit of self-inquiry. It didn't always deliver. Here's something that has: Seeing the light in others, nurturing it, and helping a fellow keeper of the light to fan it into a full-blown flame.
I love the way James Baldwin puts it:
The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light.
Often, you lose sight of your light. It can dim when you encounter challenging life experiences, especially if you have little to no support. Anyone who's been on the planet for a bit encounters them. (Some of us more than most.) Most people are used to criticism. Acknowledgment is rare. This isn't about compliments or surface soothing. It is about reflecting on what's true. (This is something we regularly share in our writing circles.)
The next time you're feeling critical about someone or something, notice that you have an expectation. That helps you recover your power of choice. What if instead of repelling the object of your attention you reflected on what's right? Here's where you get to strengthen that ‘light' muscle.
I had two great teachers demonstrate this regularly. It has made ALL the difference in my world. I notice how it impacts those who participate in my circles. People see themselves more clearly when light is shared.
When you make this your default response – when you look for what's right – you both have more light and creative flow. You are now swimming in the vast creative ocean of Love, and it gifts you infinitely.
